Former Australia Bowling Coach David Saker has been identified as the unnamed coach allegedly involved in the 2018 Sandpapergate controversy, with fresh allegations suggesting he encouraged Cameron Bancroft’s actions and urged players to conceal the use of sandpaper, according to an exclusive report by The Sydney Morning Herald‘s Chris Barrett.
The revelations follow the publication of former Australia cricketer Usman Khawaja’s autobiography _Sabr_, which has renewed scrutiny of the events surrounding the Cape Town ball-tampering scandal. Khawaja’s account challenges the extent of responsibility attributed to the three players sanctioned at the time — Steve Smith, Cameron Bancroft and David Warner — and raises questions about what other members of Australia’s touring party knew.
Saker accused of influencing Sandpapergate press conference
One of the most significant new allegations concerns the press conference held after Bancroft was caught attempting to alter the condition of the ball during the Cape Town Test.
Tour sources have identified Saker as the coach who allegedly urged then Australia Captain Steve Smith and Bancroft to conceal the material involved. Saker is alleged to have repeatedly told them: “You can’t say sandpaper.”
Despite other individuals advising the players against providing a false account, Bancroft initially told reporters that he had used tape to collect loose particles from the pitch and apply them to the ball. The material was subsequently confirmed as sandpaper when Cricket Australia announced disciplinary sanctions against Bancroft, Smith and Warner.
Khawaja does not describe Saker’s alleged intervention before the press conference in his autobiography. He instead recounts the confusion within the Australian camp and his efforts, alongside Team Media Manager Kate Hutchison, to discourage Smith from facing reporters that evening.
Khawaja’s autobiography raises questions about coaching involvement
While Khawaja does not identify the coach by name, his account includes an incident during the lunch interval at Newlands, shortly before Bancroft was caught with sandpaper.
Khawaja describes witnessing an interaction between Bancroft and a member of the coaching staff, followed by the player’s preparation to return to the field. Writing in _Sabr_, he recalled: “Then I saw Bangers pick up a piece of sandpaper and put it in his pocket. The coach gave both me and Cameron a wry smile of satisfaction and walked away.”
The autobiography also describes a meeting before the South African Test series in which an unnamed coach encouraged the Australian players to find ways of generating reverse swing as the ball aged. Tour sources have identified Saker as the coach referenced in both accounts.
Khawaja’s allegations extend beyond the Cape Town Test itself. He maintains that the Australian team had opportunities to interfere with the ball’s condition before entering the field, rather than exclusively during play.
Explaining the circumstances in his autobiography, Khawaja wrote: “We all knew that the umpire would drop the ball on the boundary as we went out onto the field. At that point, there’d be no cameras on us and the umpires would be about 100 metres ahead. We could then do whatever we wanted.”
These claims have widened the discussion beyond Bancroft’s actions at Newlands to the knowledge and conduct of other members of the Australian squad during the tour.
Saker’s previous comments return to scrutiny
Saker, who left Cricket Australia in February 2019, previously addressed the scandal in a 2021 interview with The Sydney Morning Herald after Bancroft’s comments in the United Kingdom renewed debate over responsibility for the incident.
Reflecting on the events, Saker told the publication: “There was a lot of people to blame. It could have been me to blame, it could have been someone else. It could have been stopped and it wasn’t, which is unfortunate.”
He also acknowledged the seriousness of Australia’s conduct, adding: “We all know that we made a monumental mistake. The gravity wasn’t as plain until it all came out.”
Saker’s coaching career has included spells with Australia and England, including involvement in England’s Ashes campaigns. Tour sources believe he signed a non-disclosure agreement with Cricket Australia following his departure, although the terms of any such arrangement have not been established in the supplied reporting.
He was contacted for comment on Thursday regarding the latest allegations. No response from Saker was included in the reporting.
Australian players divided over Khawaja’s account
The renewed controversy has exposed differing accounts among members of Australia’s 2018 touring squad, particularly over whether the team’s bowlers were aware of ball tampering.
Warner has supported Khawaja’s version of events, while former Australia fast bowler Chadd Sayers, who made his only Test appearance during the final match of that South African series, has also backed his former teammate.
Sayers, who said he was not interviewed during Cricket Australia’s investigation, told The Sydney Morning Herald: “I believe in what Uzzie said.”
The position of Australia’s frontline bowlers remains different. Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon have maintained that they were unaware of sandpaper being taken onto the field during the Cape Town incident.
Starc reiterated that position this week and separately indicated that he had no knowledge of ball tampering in teams for which he had played.
The distinction between awareness of sandpaper being carried onto the field and knowledge of any earlier interference with the ball has become central to the renewed debate, particularly given Khawaja’s account of events before play resumed.
Fresh scrutiny of Australia’s Sandpapergate investigation
The allegations have brought renewed attention to Cricket Australia’s original investigation and the differing recollections of those involved in the 2018 tour.
Khawaja and Sayers have both indicated that they were not interviewed as part of that investigation, while Khawaja’s autobiography also describes a subsequent team meeting involving incoming Captain Tim Paine and Team Psychologist Michael Lloyd, during which the welfare of coaching staff was discussed.
The renewed scrutiny of Saker’s alleged involvement has added another dimension to questions surrounding the coaching staff’s knowledge and conduct during the 2018 South Africa tour.
Meanwhile, Australia Captain Pat Cummins has rejected Khawaja’s suggestion that the entire team knew sandpaper was being taken onto the field. Speaking to reporters, he stated: “When (Usman Khawaja) says ‘we all knew’, if by that he means that we knew sandpaper was going out on the field, he’s 100 percent wrong.”
